Stalker Arts
As a stalker gains experience, he learns a number of arts that aid him and confound his foes. Starting at 1st level, a stalker gains one art; he gains an additional art at 3rd level and new arts every four class levels attained after 3rd level. A stalker cannot select an individual art more than once (unless noted). Stalkers select their arts from the following list. ---- Advanced Study: The stalker’s knowledge of the martial disciplines expands, imparting new maneuvers as if the character had taken the Advanced Study feat. This art may be selected more than once. The stalker must meet the prerequisites of this feat to select this stalker art. ---- Alacrity (Ex): A stalker’s land speed is faster than the norm for his race, gaining a +10-ft. enhancement bonus to his base speed and he may add his stalker initiation modifier to Acrobatics checks, due to his nimble and finely honed body. The stalker enjoys this benefit only when he is wearing no armor or light armor, not using a shield, and not carrying a medium or heavy load. As a swift action, the character may spend a point of ki to pour extra speed to his step to increase this bonus from 10-ft. to an additional 30-ft. for one minute, but he is fatigued afterward for 1d4 minutes as he catches his breath. ---- Bloodseeker (Ex): The stalker gains the scent special ability. ---- Combat Art: A stalker that selects this art gains a bonus combat feat. The stalker must meet the prerequisites for selecting this feat. This art may be selected more than once. ---- Combat Precognition (Su): The stalker designates his combat senses towards his opponents and gains momentary flashes of insight into how to defend himself against them. SpendIng one point of ki as an immediate action forces opponents who attack the stalker to roll their attack rolls twice and take the worse of the two results due to the stalker’s precognitive abilities. This art lasts for one round. ---- Concealed Recovery (Su): The stalker may utilize his ki-fueled attunement to the world around him to defend himself while he centers his spirit for martial maneuver recovery. When recovering maneuvers (either as a full round action or as a standard action) the stalker enjoys concealment (with a 20% miss chance). At 11th level, this improves to total concealment (50% miss chance). ---- Critical Edge (Ex): The stalker’s deadly efficiency in combat allows him to increase the critical threat range of any weapon he wields by +1. This bonus is applied after abilities such Improved Critical or the keen weapon property and cannot be doubled. ---- Critical Training (Ex): The stalker’s deadly strike damage increases by an additional damage die, and he may treat his class level as his base attack bonus for the purposes of qualify for critical feats. If the stalker possesses fighter levels, he may add his stalker level to his fighter level to qualify for critical feats. ---- Deadly Ambush (Ex): The stalker with this art may now use his deadly strike class feature against flat- footed targets and targets that are being denied the Dexterity modifier to their AC as well as on critical hits and when focusing his ki to read his opponent. ---- Deadly Insight (Su): The stalker may use his deadly strikes in conjunction with his combat insight to “read” his opponent’s defenses and effortlessly attack beyond his foe’s guard. The stalker spends one point of ki as a swift action to read his target opponent, and may apply his deadly strike to all of his attacks for a number of rounds equal to his stalker initiation modifier against this target. If the stalker scores a successful critical hit against the target while his deadly strike ability is active, the duration of this ability is extended by one round (no more than one extension can be made per round). ---- Deadly Recovery (Ex): The stalker’s deadly nature is reflected when he is considered to be most vulnerable. While recovering maneuvers as a full round action, the stalker gains the use of the Combat Reflexes feat (using his stalker initiation modifier in place of his Dexterity modifier). He may also add his deadly strike damage to any attacks of opportunity he makes while he is recovering maneuvers. ---- Evasion (Ex): A stalker can avoid damage from many area-effect attacks by channeling his ki into his reflexes. If a stalker makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful Reflex save he instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if a stalker is wearing light armor or no armor. A helpless stalker does not gain the benefit of evasion. ---- Fear Monger (Ex): The stalker gains Cornugon Smash and Dazzling Display as bonus feats. The stalker must meet the prerequisites of these feats to select this stalker art. ---- Ki Vampirism (Su): The stalker’s ki gains a hungry quality that expresses itself through the martial prowess of a disciple of the Path of War. If the stalker reduces a living foe to 0 or less hit points with a martial strike or scores a successful critical hit, then he may regain 1 point of ki''as an immediate action. He may not use his ''ki vampirism more times per day than 3 + his stalker initiation modifier. This ability does not function against constructs, undead, or creatures with under 1/2 HD. Minimum stalker level 11th. ---- Killer’s Implements (Ex): The stalker chooses a melee weapon he is proficient with, and gains the benefits of the Weapon Finesse and Deadly Agility feats when using that weapon, even if that weapon could not normally be used with those feats. At 6th level and every five levels thereafter, the stalker chooses an additional melee weapon to gain the benefits of this ability with. The stalker can change one of these weapon choices by practicing with a new weapon for ten minutes. This stalker art counts as both Weapon Finesse and Deadly Agility for the purposes of meeting prerequisites. ---- Lord of War (Ex): The stalker adds Scarlet Throne or Piercing Thunder to his list of available disciplines. If he does not have that discipline’s associated skill as a class skill, he gains it as a class skill. In addition, he gains a +2 competence bonus on checks with that skill. A stalker may select this stalker art once for each discipline. ---- Mind Bending (Su): The stalker’s inner sense learns the workings of another being’s mind, granting him the ability to impose his own will over those weak enough to succumb to this art. As a standard action, the character spends one ki point and must make eye contact with the target creature and begin speaking to them, using his ki to influence his target’s thoughts. The target then must make a Will save (DC 13 + his stalker initiation modifier) or be subject to a charm monster spell. Minimum stalker level 5th. ---- Monastic Weapon Training: The stalker gains the Improved Unarmed Strike feat and gains proficiency with all weapons that are considered monk weapons. ---- Murderous Insight (Su): The stalker designates his combat senses towards ending the lives of his opponents and gains momentary flashes of insight in how to best accomplish this. The stalker can activate this ability by spending one point of ki as a swift action; for a number of rounds equal to 1 + his stalker initiation modifier, he can roll twice on a single attack roll each round and take the higher value. ---- Obfuscation (Su): The stalker knows how to maintain a quiet, innocuous attitude as if he were nothing more than a part of the scenery. The stalker spends a point of ki as a full round action to activate his obfuscation, and as long as he remains in a non- threatening posture (by carrying no weapons in hand moving at half his base speed) the stalker radiates a psychic field that causes others to ignore his presence for a number of minutes equal to his stalker initiation modifier. Subjects who normally would react to the stalker’s presence in a way that would stop or harm him must make a Will save (DC 15 + his stalker initiation modifier) or be under the influence of the cloud mind psionic power. For every 2 additional points of ki he spends on this art, the saving throw DC increases by +1 to a maximum of his stalker initiation modifier. Minimum stalker level 7th. ---- Phantom Reach (Su): The stalker is capable of extending the reach of melee range martial strikes by infusing ki into the maneuver, causing a phantom echo to rush towards the enemy and initiate the attack. The stalker can activate this ability by spending one point of ki as a swift action; if he does, the next melee martial strike he initiates this turn is is treated as if it instead had a range of close (25-ft. + 5-ft. / 2 levels). Strikes with a range greater than melee attack do not function with this art. ---- Precocious Step (Su): By relying on his combat insight to steer him effortlessly through a dangerous spot, the stalker may spend one point of ki as a swift action and move without provoking attacks of opportunity for a number rounds equal to his stalker initiation modifier (min 1). ---- Rogue Talent: Some stalkers have learned techniques that are similar to those of the rogue, and may select rogue talents instead of stalker arts. Stalkers may not learn advanced talents, nor can they gain the Ki Pool or Underhanded rogue talents. Talents that apply to a rogue’s sneak attack apply to a stalker’s deadly strike ability. ---- Sniper’s Tools (Ex): The stalker chooses a ranged weapon he is proficient with, and gains the benefits of the Point Blank Shot and Precise Shot feats when using that weapon. At 6th level and every five levels thereafter, the stalker chooses an additional ranged weapon to gain the benefits of this ability with. The stalker can change one of these weapon choices by practicing with a new weapon for ten minutes. This stalker art counts as both Point Blank Shot and Precise Shot for the purposes of meeting prerequisites. ----